16 Years Ago Today

16 years ago today, the Lord made me a better man! 16 years ago today, the Lord graced me with a lifelong gift. 16 years ago today, the Lord wrought a miracle in my life. 16 years ago today, the Lord brought a new perspective into my world that would completely change my course. 16 years ago today, the Lord placed me in a relationship with the purpose of slowly, progressively, and surely conforming me to the image of Christ.

16 years ago today, the Lord gave me a wife! 16 years ago today, two became one. 16 years ago today, I took on the role of Christ, and she took on the role of the Church. 16 years ago today, we entered into a till-death-do-you-part covenant with one another, under God!

16 years ago today, I was given a helpmate. 16 years ago today, I was given a faithful companion. 16 years ago today, I was given a best friend for life. 16 years ago today, I was given the strongest support and clearest accountability I could ever know. 16 years go today, I was given a beautiful woman, who would grow into a woman of God. 16 years ago today, I was given the lady who would one day be the mother of my children.

16 years ago today, the Lord blessed me far beyond what I could ever imagine at that time or have fully discovered since. 16 years ago today, the Lord gave me the Summer of a lifetime!

Happy Anniversary Summer! I thank and praise the Lord for the gift of grace you are to me!

It's the Little Things

He’s 4 years old, exhausted, hot, sweaty, and miserable. We’re attending a worship service being held outside. We’re under a tent. It must be 90 degrees. I’m enjoying the pastor deliver an expository sermon from I John. He knows the guy is preaching. He knows this is church and it’s important. He knows he is supposed to behave, and he is actually behaving better than some adults! But for all that, he’s still 4 years old.

So he climbs up in my lap, wraps his arm around my neck, and lays his head on my shoulder. He is hot and sticky. He holds me tight. He’s my son, and I treasure this moment.

My family and I are walking on a trail through the woods near a lake. We enjoy the family time, the exercise, and the nature. It’s just a leisurely time together. I am walking a few steps ahead of everyone else. She runs to catch up with me. She slows her pace when she arrives at my side. She begins talking to me about the things that matter to her. She reaches up with her hand and grabs my hand, and we stroll together hand-in-hand. This is totally unprovoked. I didn’t ask her to walk with me, talk to me, or hold my hand. But she grasps my hand with her little fingers nonetheless. She is my 6 year old daughter, and she has just made my day.

It’s the little things that have come to mean the world to me. A hug from my son. Holding hands with my daughter. These little things are huge!

It’s also the little things that remind me of how vast is the grace of God. Every one of these little things are gifts from God meant not only to warm our hearts toward one another but to inflame our hearts for Him! These little things contain within them elements of grace that remind me of His wondrous love towards us in Christ. These little things are mere streams which flow from the true Fountain of Grace.

His grace toward me was totally unprovoked, that is, nothing in me warranted His gracious affections. Nonetheless, He has swallowed me in His arms of grace and granted me communion with Him through Christ. How kind and gracious is He. How undeserving and unworthy am I.

It’s the little things that mean so much. It’s the little things that speak volumes! It’s the little things that are reflections of the Source of Life. It’s the little things that whisper to us daily of the infinite, inexhaustible grace and mercy of God!

The Children's Bible Jesus or The Holy Bible Jesus

During our time of transition, my family is attending worship at Mountain Community Fellowship (www.mcfpainstville.com). It is a great new church working hard to pursue a healthy church model and reach people for Christ. Two weeks ago, their Lead Pastor, Jason Hutchinson, shared a timely illustration during his message. He spoke about how many have come to view Jesus more as the Jesus found in a Children’s Bible rather than the true Jesus found in The Holy Scripture! It is a powerful truth!

Now hear me well, I am not against the use of Children’s Bibles (and I’m sure I can speak for Pastor Jason and say he is not either). My family is currently using The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm as part of our family devotions. The pictures keep my 4 year old son interested, and my 6 year old daughter helps read the stories. Children’s Bibles are a wonderful tool to help introduce young ones to the Bible, God, Jesus, and salvation!

The problem occurs when churches and pulpits in general have adopted a Children’s Bible Jesus instead of the Jesus of Scripture. As Pastor Jason put it, “I have not found one Children’s Bible yet that shows Jesus driving people out of the Temple or calling the Pharisees hypocrites!” In other words, the stories of Children’s Bibles tend to only portray the aspects of Jesus’ life and teachings that are comforting to us. However, the true Jesus, the One portrayed in the Gospels, can be very uncomfortable!

The true Jesus calls us to take up a cross! The true Jesus gets angry with religious pride, bigotry, and hypocrisy. The true Jesus calls us to hate all other relationships in light of our relationship with Him. The true Jesus is not a chummy character begging us to just ask Him in our hearts! The true Jesus is Lord and demands our complete allegiance and worship! The true Jesus didn’t just die on the cross to show us how much He loved us, but on the cross He bore the wrath of God that was directed toward us!

The true Jesus does not fit well into our American, comfort-seeking, self-pleasing, possession-building, pride-boosting ego! The true Jesus calls us to die to self in order to find true life in Him. The true Jesus can be very uncomfortable!

But if we want to worship the true Jesus, then we must go to the source where He is revealed most clearly - the Word of God! Find that Jesus and follow Him, for only when you encounter, follow, and worship the true Jesus will you ever find true salvation!

Available for Speaking/Preaching Engagements

The Lord has placed my family and I in a time of transition. If I can be of assistance to your church or ministry during this time, it would certainly be an honor for me to represent the Lord through the teaching/preaching of the Word. I am available for supply, revivals, conferences, etc. If you are interested, please contact me at searchandsee@att.net. Blessings!

Book Review: The Holiness of God

For years I have heard about R.C. Sproul’s classic work, The Holiness of God, and for years I have wanted to read it. Recently, I had the opportunity to do so, and it has quickly risen to my list of favorites!

If I could sum up the thrust of the book in my own words, it would be something like this. The reason why most of us do not marvel and meditate upon God, the reason most of us do not tremble at our sin, the reason most of us cannot understand the judgment passages of Scripture, the reason most of us take grace for granted is because we have such little regard for and knowledge of The Holiness of God!

As should be expected with Sproul, he does an excellent job of combining scriptural exegesis, biblical theology, and historical theology to help his readers grasp what has been such a mystery, The Holiness of God. Part of the genius of this work is Sproul’s examination of biblical and historical figures such as Moses, Peter, Luther, and Edwards. Maybe one of the more valuable chapters was Sproul’s handling of the texts throughout Scripture where the Lord killed individuals on the spot for their transgressions. More than any other treatment I have encountered, this chapter enables one to rightly assess just how far we have fallen from the glory of God.

One of Sproul’s sayings that struck me most was when he was addressing how we long for God’s holiness, while simultaneously fear consumption in his majestic presence (and rightly so, for no man has seen God and lived!). He writes, “Part of us yearns for the holy, while part of us despises it. We can’t live with it, and we can’t live without it” (p. 52).

If you desire to know the God of Scripture more rather than the various portraits of God that we create in our own heads, then I encourage you to read The Holiness of God. Be prepared to be moved, shocked, and awakened to that which you were created for, to glorify the Lord your God!

News From Friends Around the World!

I have recently heard from our friends in South India, Global Ark, and Myanmar, Pastor Joseph! Global Ark recently conducted an evangelistic campaign using the Gospel bead bracelets. Pastor Joseph sent photos of their chapel, hostels, and classrooms. They have begun their new school year. What a delight to see the Lord moving across the globe and the Gospel advancing in various ways!

Summer Update

Dear Friends:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I am pleased to give you an update on Search And See Ministries. The Lord continues to provide tremendous opportunities to serve and glorify Him!

1. Our team of 20 is making the final preparations for our trip to Kenya in October. Almost all of our visas have been approved, all necessary reservations are being made, and final planning for ministry outreach is taking place.
2. My latest book is at the publisher! “Unshakable Joy in Uneasy Times: An Expository Study of Philippians” is being published by CrossBooks, a division of LifeWay.
3. In June we experienced the largest volume of sermon downloads to date! 1,237!
4. The next project for us is developing and launching a new ministry website. We are excited about the potential for ministry expansion that a website will open to us.

In other news, my family and I are in a time of transition and would greatly appreciate your prayers for the Lord’s direction, wisdom, and grace!

Stay in touch with us in these ways.

www.sermonaudio.com/searchandsee (online sermons and resources)

www.searchandsee.blogspot.com (blog)

www.wondersintheword.blogspot.com (daily Bible reading blog)

twitter - @searchandsee

Facebook - Searchandsee

Keep Reading!

A good friend from NC called me yesterday to share an exciting milestone in his life with me. With joy he said, “For the first time in my life I have read through half of the Bible, and I am on track to have it read this year!” He was thrilled, and so was I!

I have been reading the Bible through each year since I became a believer in 1987. It is a constant nourishment for my faith and walk with God. The more I read it, the more I love it. The more I read it, the more I love God. The more I read it, the more I want to share this joy with others! Therefore, I am always encouraging Christians to read their Bibles. I had encouraged my friend to read the Bible, and he called to thank me for it.

(Believe it or not, I was recently criticized by a church-goer for challenging and encouraging church members to read their Bibles all the way through!!!)

July marks the halfway point of the year, and of one year Bible reading plans. If you are reading through the Scripture, renew your commitment to soak in the Scripture! If you have gotten behind or do not have a plan for reading the Bible, why not begin now?

You don’t have to read through the whole Bible this year. The point is reading and reflecting on God’s revelation, not completing a plan. However, a plan helps some people, like me, to stay on track.

Whatever your plan or method - keep reading! There is a wealth of joy and treasure to be discovered!

Check out our daily Bible reading blog where we post a weekly plan and thoughts from each day’s reading - www.wondersintheword.blogspot.com.